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Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I've been looking at a variety of diverse blogs and noticed a video on 2000ah.blogspot.com that caught my attention. Essentially, a Japanese company has developed glasses with a mount that projects images directly on the retina. This is another case where science has caught up to science fiction.

You can watch the video of the device below.

Although the Japanese glasses seem more technologically advanced, an Israeli company had previously developed glasses in 2006 that projects videos on the lens.

Here's the video:

As I dug deeper into when this technology came about, I found out that a U.S. company developed head-mounted displays in 2002.

Even before that, in 1993, a patent was filed for fiber-optic video glasses, which can be found at the U.S. Patent website here.

So if this technology has been around for so long, what's taking it so long for it to be mass marketed? It's expensive to make, so we probably have wait a long time. When the crave for this technology matches the price customers are willing to pay, then perhaps we'll see these glasses next to the 3D TVs for sell.

If I was asked to choose my favorite science-fiction-related love story, my selection would be the romance between hotshot pilot Rick Hunter and high-ranking officer Lisa Hayes from the animated TV series Robotech. In a nutshell, the Macross saga is a space opera about giant aliens arriving at Earth to find out their sought-after spaceship is in possession of the humans. The humans, using the ship, try to fold (hyperspace jump) to the Moon but end up near Pluto and must make a long journey back to Earth with the aliens in pursuit.

In the Macross Saga, there is a love triangle between Rick, Lisa and singer Lynn Minmei, which gives the show depth. Ultimately, Rick marries Lisa.

Below is a fan-made comic panel of Rick proposing to Lisa. You most likely will need to click on the image to read the text.

Photo from photobucket.com under username jasonuep.

What is your favorite love story from a science fiction movie, book, TV show, comic book, or any other medium?

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Blogs iZombie and Ellie Garratt are doing a Top Ten Horror/Science Fiction Movie Quotes Blogfest today, so I decided to list underrated quotes that deserve more attention (I'll have to admit that a couple are not so underrated, so I made this a list of semi-underrated quotes). I'm not much of a horror fan, so my choices are on science fiction movies. Enjoy.

9. I, RobotDetective Del Spooner: It calculated that I had a 45 percent chance of survival. Sarah only had an 11 percent chance. That was somebody's baby; 11 percent is more than enough. A human being would've known that. Robots, [indicating his heart] nothing here, just lights and clockwork. Go ahead, you trust 'em if you want to.

8. The Matrix Agent Smith: I hate this place. This zoo. This prison. This reality, whatever you want to call it, I can't stand it any longer. It's the smell, if there is such a thing. I feel saturated by it. I can taste your stink and every time I do, I fear that I've somehow been infected by it.

7. InceptionCobb: What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient ... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed -- fully understood -- that sticks; right in there somewhere.

4. V for VendettaV: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V. Evey Hammond: Are you like a crazy person?

Saturday, February 5, 2011

In early January, I found out the Orson Scott Card, known for Ender's Game and other books in that universe, had a mild stroke. From what I understand, his left hand is impaired, and he is still retraining his brain. I hope that he fully recovers.

If you enjoy science fiction, I am sure you already know about Ender's Game because it is ranked one of the best science fiction novels (often listed as the best selling), and had won the Nebula and Hugo awards. Personally, I prefer his novelette version of Ender's Game (published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, August 1977) to some extent over the novelization.

Although I liked how protagonist Ender's childhood is explained and that his experiences at the Battle School were well-developed, I didn't care too much about Ender's brother and sister influencing the political realm of Earth, nor did I care for the new ending with Ender on an alien Bugger world. The latter seemed tacked on to the book to serve as a transition to its sequel, Speaker for the Dead, which also won both the Nebula and Hugo award.

I digress. Card has written lots more than just the Ender's Game series, and I enjoy reading his books and short stories. I hope he will return to normalcy.

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